Paula Has Left The Building
by candie275
Summary: Spencer becomes really close with her dad after her mom leaves with her brothers and her son. Eventual Spashley, first few chapters are for intro purposes.
1. Chapter 1

**Spencer's POV**

"Paula!"

I wake to the sound of my dad screaming for my mom.

"Paula!"

Thundering feet climb the stairs and barge into my room.

"Where is your mother?" My dad practically yells at me, frantic with fright.

"Hmm? Uh... what time is it?" Half-asleep, I roll over to see my clock. 5AM? Are you kidding me, dad?

I hurry, throw some clothes on, and rush downstairs. By the front door, I check for mom's favourite shoes.

Gone.

All her clothes? Gone.

Even her toothbrush is gone.

"Dad! Where is she?" I rush around the house, looking for signs that say she will be back.

In the kitchen, I see him. Leaning on the counter with his head in his right hand and a letter in his left, he's petrified. Quietly, I make my way towards him, avoiding any sudden movements.

"...Dad? What's going on?" I whisper, choosing my words wisely. I approach him and reach slowly for the letter, presumably from my mom. Barely moving, he releases the note and now has his head in both of his hands, silently weeping.

Dear Arthur,

I have never loved anyone nearly as much as I love you. I can never love someone so much again. Leaving you today is the single hardest thing I've had to do in my life. I am safe, along with Clay, Glen, and Caleb. They will understand soon. I left Spencer with you, because she could really use your guidance right now. She will open up to you, how she never opened up to me. Ask her about Ashley.

I want to come back, but it needs some time. No date set. I know that we are meant to be together but unfortunately though, not all marriages can be happy ones. We will both learn to cope with this, and until the day I come back, I wish you all the best.

I love you, and I'm sorry.

Paula

_The next day..._

"Good morning dad!" I yawned, having just woken up.

No answer. He was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper as he always does.

"I had the craziest nightmare last night," I continued, trying to start our usual morning conversation.

"Me too." Mumbling, I saw him speak rather than heard him. He seemed rather distracted.

"Okay, you start!" She grabbed a bowl from the disorganized cupboard and a spotted spoon from the drawer before pouring some cereal for breakfast. Her dad was still staring at his newspaper, despite not turning the page for the last little while. Was he even reading it? After a long pause, she concluded he was really into the story he was reading.

"...it started... with a letter," he began lazily. He was never much of the storyteller to begin with. "I woke up... and... I couldn't find Paula –"

"Stop that! Not even funny, dad!" I remembered yesterday morning.

"—but just like a dream, I knew she wouldn't come back." Slowly, without folding up the newspaper, he stood and walked to the stairs. There, he paused.

"I'm sorry, Spencer. I... just... don't know." His bedroom was calling, and he accepted its invitation.

I was stunned. After finding my dad in the kitchen last night with a letter in hand, the rest of the day was a blur. Did I pass out? Did anger cloud my reality? All I know is that I woke up thinking it was a bad dream.

This morning didn't seem different than any other morning. I'm almost always up before Glen, Clay and Paula anyways. Glen just finished his 3rd year of college on a basketball scholarship and Clay recently came back from studying law in his 2nd year at Yale, meaning they both sleep in these days. Mom also works nights, so by the time she gets home at 5am 5 days a week, she goes right to bed, leaving hardly enough time for me to see her and for Caleb to see his grandma.

Caleb is my 2-year old son. Once I get him back from my mom, he will be back to being all smiles and laughs as everyone knows him to be. His Auntie Ashley loves him almost as much as his daddy Aiden and I do. True, he was a mistake unplanned. A product of the night I got drunk and slept with Aiden when I should have been supporting my friend's concert. That was a big night, for all three of us. That was the first time Ashley's dad was supposed to hear her sing (she's a really good singer) but not the first time he was a no-show. She needed me, and I wasn't there. But now I've given up on drinking, seeing how my dad is turning out, and I was focusing on being a good mother right now.

But, its impossible to be a good mother when Caleb isn't even with me. My mom has no right to take him from me! And what's that bullshit about asking me about Ashley? Nothing is going on, nothing at all. Just friends. I really need to figure out my life right now before I dive into another dead-end relationship like I did with Aiden. We are still friends. After all, it wasn't his fault the condom broke right?

Briskly climbing the stairs to my dad's room, I shudder, doubting I'll like what I see. Knocking yet not waiting for an answer, I go in to see my dad with the last of his second bottle getting gulped down his throat.

I pause, slamming the door behind me. He turns towards me.

"What do you want?" This makes me LOSE it!

"WHAT DO I WANT? I WANT MY DAD BACK! I can't see you like this. Ever since that... letter... you've done nothing but sit on your ass and drink." Will I be able to get through to him?

I storm out of that room, grab my bag for school, and leave. I can't deal with this, I just need someone to talk to.

Someone like Ashley.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ashley!"

I stopped my best friend as she was about to turn a corner at King High. She could sense the franticness in my voice.

"What's wrong, Spence?" Pulling her aside, I tell her everything that went down since I saw her yesterday...

"In two days, Ashley! He downed two bottles in two days! I'm sure he feels like dying right now, but what about me? I can't lose all my family, c'mon!" I started with loneliness & confusion and ended with anger & frustration. To hide my emerging tears from my toughest friend, I turn to face the wall, head in my hands.

"Spence, everything will be okay. Give your dad some time, he'll come around and be there for you. This is so unlike him. He's always been a good dad for you, give him some time." With her hands caressing my shoulders to comfort me, I felt better. She's right; I need to give him some time.

God, I hate it when she's right.

And so, I headed to first class which Ashley and I share. After the philosophy lesson starts, I pull out my textbook and attempt to follow along. Ashley instinctively moves her desk closer. Mr. Arsenburg frowns on students who do that. "It marks up the floor and makes a terrible racket," he always says. Well, what can I say? Ash has always been a rule breaker and isn't easily deterred by being threatened with detention. Besides, she was only trying to follow along, right?

Ashley leaned in close to me, "Party at my house, Saturday night. Mom's in the Costa for a few days with her new man."

She leans back, to keep her whispering on the down low, before her body is moving back towards me. The guys go crazy for the arch in her back. They like a flexible girl.

"What do you say? It'll take your mind off your dad for a night." She looked up at me with those big blue eyes. I could resist if I wanted to, I really could. But I wouldn't do that to Ash. What she probably meant was Ben&Jerry's and a good movie. Just us two girls.

Smiling, I nod, then point to the front.

"Are you finished, Ms Davies?" She slinked back into her chair, sending one last smile my way. Good thing for Ashley that Mr Arsenburg always gives a warning before detention.

"So, who's all coming to this party of yours?" Catching up after class, we head to our lockers which are beside each other's .

"Oh, you know... You..." Did Ashley just blush? She turned away quickly to hide that fact.

I pretend I didn't notice. "Just me? Will we invite Ben&Jerry? Or, is it Häagen-Dazs' turn?"

The playful wink I sent was caught and returned. We laugh it off and head our separate ways. It was time for Ashley's lunch, unfortunately different than mine, and my turn for English class.

My teacher is Ms Jeste, queen of grammar. I figure if I can write a simple sentence, I should be able to survive in the real world. Doodling is my second favourite thing to do during class, besides being loud and disruptive with the help of Ashley.

Once class ends, I bolt out of the room to my locker. Ashley has been trained, you could say, to wait for me there. She just knows that so many new and exciting things happen during Ms J's English class that I can't wait to tell her! Yah...as if. Actually, I just wanted to show her my most impressive doodle to date.

"Oh, Spencer! You have clearly outdone yourself this time!" She can't help but laugh at the silly drawing of a caricature of Ms J, enlarged head and all, on the body of an old man re-enacting the opening scene of Baywatch.

"I don't know what came over my imagination today!" Ashley's laugh was contagious. So was her smile.

Her smile is known to brighten up my days.


End file.
